drift off

phrasal verb

drifted off; drifting off; drifts off

informal

: to fall asleep

She drifted off while I was still talking.

He gradually drifted off to sleep.

Examples of drift off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Rico Priem, 66, was driving home around 4:30 a.m. when his SUV drifted off the 57 freeway, hit a tree, went up an embankment, and flipped over. —

Gene Maddaus, Variety, 18 June 2024 Enjoying an alcoholic drink before drifting off to sleep on a long-haul flight might put your heart health and sleep quality at risk, according to a small study. —

Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 13 June 2024 The mask is perfect for light sleepers or anyone who needs complete darkness to drift off. —

Shannon Ullman, Verywell Health, 3 June 2024 Two boats had drifted off and gotten stuck on the Israeli side of the border, with two more getting beached near the pier. —

The Editors, National Review, 30 May 2024 After being kidnapped and tied down by a serial killer, in a moment of pure terror and exhaustion, Beverly Mabee Abel drifted off to sleep — and dreamt that her late mother came to her. —

Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 19 May 2024 Phase errors measured in picoseconds can cause the microwave beam to blur or drift off its target. —

IEEE Spectrum, 9 May 2024 Deploying the parachute too soon risks loss of control, entanglement, and drifting off course. PHASE 3 Deploying the Parachute At 5,500 feet, get ready to deploy the parachute, ideally around 4,500 feet. —

Michael McGough, Sacramento Bee, 14 Dec. 2023 When the blackout occurred, the ship’s rudder was turned 3 degrees to the starboard side and remained stuck there as the vessel drifted off course. —

USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drift off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.